


Growing Pains

by Tarlan



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsheplets, Family, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-28
Updated: 2008-04-28
Packaged: 2017-10-21 06:33:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/222001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tarlan/pseuds/Tarlan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Babysitting is fun...not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Growing Pains

**Author's Note:**

> McSheplets Table prompt 21: Anger/rough

After spending ten years in another galaxy, Rodney could no longer consider calling any place home other than Atlantis. It was certainly more of a home than the one he had grown up in with its vicious arguments between his parents. Of course on any other day, or if he had been romantically inclined, then he might have said that home was any place as long as John was right there by his side.

Today, not so much.

Rodney winced as Bradley shrieked in decibels so high that Rodney expected every dog-like creature in two galaxies to come running.

"Do it again! Do it again!"

The cause of those screams of delight was a newly promoted Brigadier General who acted more like a big kid than a grown man, chasing Bradley around the apartment they had shared on Atlantis since the end of DADT. John snatched Bradley up into the air again, swinging him around much to Bradley's continued delight before the game started over again.

Beside Rodney, Madison heaved an almighty sigh and rolled her eyes in a gesture that Jeannie insisted had come from him. She drew her laptop closer, her lips tightening in anger as her brother continued to play. Finally, she huffed loudly, sat back and crossed her arms.

"Uncle Mer, I can't concentrate with all that noise! Make them stop."

Rodney closed his eyes as the mother of all headaches threatened to annihilate every brain cell in his head. He turned to the balcony door, trying to tune out the screams, laughter and the petulant whines with the sound of the heavy rain driven by the wind against the Plexiglas. Silently, he offered up a prayer to anyone listening that Jeannie and Kaleb would return soon to reclaim their boisterous offspring, wishing he and John had never agreed to babysit while they spent their last full day on Atlantis with the soft scientists who had insisted on a guided tour to show them the beauty of her stained-glass windows, bubbling columns, and majestic towers.

"More! More!"

"Uh-uh. That's enough for now. Who's for milk and cookies?"

"Me! Me!"

Rodney opened his eyes in relief only to see Madison frozen in indecision, caught between acting like the child she still was and the adult she wanted to be, and something inside him broke as he recalled the way he was forced to grow up too fast by uncaring parents and minders. With a quick flash of a grin towards John, he shot up his hand.

"Me! Me!" He shouted, grinning as the momentary indecision fled from Madison's bright eyes and she cried out too.

Later, with two kids returned to their parents and the storm slowly abating, Rodney sighed in pleasure as John came up behind him, arms wrapping around Rodney's waist to pull him tight against John's chest. He leaned back as John nuzzled the side of his neck, planting small, soft kisses.

"I love Maddie and Bradley," John murmured, "But...You wanna know the best part?"

"Handing them back?"

John grinned against Rodney's throat before nibbling at an earlobe. "Yeah, handing them back. So let's take advantage of having no kids." He turned Rodney in his arms and kissed him slow and dirty. "Let's go to bed."

Rodney chuckled, and let John lead him by the hand through their now peaceful home.

END


End file.
